Glimpses
by BubblyShell22
Summary: A series of one-shots featuring the TMNT's villains and allies.
1. Chapter 1

Glimpses

Chapter 1: Fallen From Grace

A/N: Hey, I'm back with another story. I know it's been awhile, but I've been busy. I graduated from college and am in the process of trying to find a job. Therefore, I've been preoccupied and unable to write any Turtles fan fiction until now. I actually got this idea from seeing the final episode of Back to the Sewers. I hope you enjoy it.

Summary: A series of one-shots featuring the TMNT's villains and allies.

Disclaimer: TMNT aren't mine although it would be cool if I did own them. They're property of Mirage Studios, Inc. I only own the plot of this story.

Karai sat and thought bitter thoughts. She couldn't believe the turn her life had taken. She had once been the leader of the Foot Clan, respected by those she had led and admired for her loyalty. Now she was dependent upon someone else so she could have a home of her own.

How had this happened? How could one man who had served her father and had served her take away her destiny? Was her father trying to send her a message from the beyond? What would he say if he could see her now?

She knew what he would say. He's say she was a disgrace to let a man defeat her like that. But hadn't Leonardo defeated her a number of times? Yes, but he was a mutant, not a man. It was a bit different in that respect, but it was still a big blow to her pride.

Weak. Foolish. Khan's words echoed in her mind. He had told her that she wasn't strong enough to lead the Foot, that she was a disgrace to her father's memory. Those remarks had led to a furious battle for supremacy that she had unfairly lost. Defeated, she had left the place that had been her home and had begged Dr. Chaplin to take her in. The man had graciously accepted after he heard her story.

Karai knew what she had to do. She had to reclaim her place in the Foot and make Khan pay for his insolence. He would tremble before her after his defeat and beg for mercy, but Karai wouldn't give it. She'd send him away just as he had sent her away, or she'd kill him. Either way, he would be destroyed, and the Foot would be reborn under her leadership.

"Karai, are you okay?" a voice asked. She looked up to see Dr. Brendan Chaplin looking at her with concern. Ever since Karai had come to his doorstep, he felt it was his duty to look after her.

"I am fine," the woman replied. "I was just thinking about what I want to do next."

Chaplin looked a little confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Don't you like staying with me?"

Karai smiled at him. "I'm very grateful that you have allowed me to stay in your home," she said. "However, there is something else I must do now."

Chaplin didn't have to ask her what that was because he already knew. "You can't do this, Karai!" he said. "Khan's won. Just accept it and move on."

Karai grew angry. "I will not!" she said. "Khan stole my position from under me. It is my duty to reclaim my place as leader of the Foot Clan. My father would want it."

"He'd want his only daughter to risk getting killed?" Chaplin asked in astonishment.

"Yes, he would," she replied. "My honor must be restored."

Chaplin said no more. He knew that there was no way he could change her mind. Once Karai's mind was set on something she wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal.

Karai left the apartment and went up to the rooftops, thinking about her goal. She had to secure her position in the Foot. Khan was abusing it and ruining what her father had created. Anger coursed through her veins as she thought about Khan. Her determination was the thing that was propelling her forward.

As she leapt from one rooftop to another, she caught a glimpse of someone. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the form of Leonardo. Why was he here? Where had he been all this time? He was obviously alive, but where were his brothers?

Leonardo looked surprised to see as well. They hadn't seen each other since the defeat of the Tengu Shredder. Although a temporary truce had been enacted, Leo wasn't quite sure if she was still angry with them or not. Judging by her expression, she seemed more shocked than angry.

"So, you are alive," Karai said by way of greeting.

He looked wary as he took in his surroundings. He expected a horde of Foot Ninjas to be on him soon. He certainly wouldn't put that past Karai. He fixed her with a level stare.

"So are you," he countered. "I wasn't expecting to see you, Karai. What are you doing here? Are you planning to attack me since my brothers aren't here? Did you know I would be here?"

Karai shook her head. "No, I did not," she replied. "I thought you were dead. It has been a whole year since I saw you. Where have you been?"

"We took a little unexpected vacation," Leo said and left it at that. He wasn't going to tell her exactly where they had been since he didn't trust her. Those days were over. "What about you? Why aren't you leader of the Foot anymore?"

"I lost that position in a duel with Khan," Karai answered. For some reason she felt the need to be honest with him. Her attitude toward Leonardo and his brothers had changed after the Tengu Shredder had been defeated. She had realized that it was foolish to hold a grudge against the Turtles when she had bigger problems to face. Shortly after this, Khan had taken over the Foot and had dueled Karai for supremacy. "I have chosen to try to reclaim my role as leader of the Foot," she continued.

'I don't think that would be wise, Karai," Leo told her. "Khan's too powerful, and he has many reinforcements. He'll kill you."

"At least I would die with honor," Karai retorted. "My father would want me to do this."

Leo quirked an eye ridge at her. "Would he?" he asked. "Maybe you should rethink that for a minute. While he was in New York, did he care about what you were doing? Did he ever inquire about your well-being while you were in Japan?"

Karai thought about this. No, her father had never been in contact with her when she took control of the Japanese branch of the Foot, but he had been busy. She chose not to reply to Leo's question, but he could tell from her expression what the answer was.

"Do you know why you failed as leader of the Foot?" he asked her. Karai was about to retort, but he continued before she could, "It's because you aren't a bad person. You have too much honor to do any harm. Think about all the times you tried to destroy us, but were unable to."

"I destroyed your home," she reminded him. "I almost killed your family."

'Yes, you did, but I gave you a second chance," he replied. "Despite your anger towards us, you helped us to defeat the Tengu Shredder. After that, we heard nothing from you. Do you still want to destroy us, or have you given up on that?"

Karai thought about what he had said. She had given up on destroying the Turtles because her anger had diminished thanks to Chaplin. She figured that maybe someone else had destroyed the Turtles since she hadn't heard from them in a year. She remembered how sad she had felt at the thought that the Turtles had been vanquished. In that moment, she knew her feelings towards them had shifted.

"I have given up on that idea because I have better things to do," she answered. "I am going now to reclaim my place in the Foot Clan." She turned to go, but Leo grabbed her arm.

"Karai, this isn't a good idea," he insisted. "Khan's way too powerful. If you go there, he'll destroy you, and the risk won't be worth it. I know you hate the idea of defeat, but sometimes it helps you to learn. Besides, the Foot won't want you back if you don't want to destroy us. They'll think you've betrayed them. Is that what you want?"

Karai could see the sincerity in his eyes. He was right as he always was. She no longer had a vendetta against the Turtles, and the Foot would resent her for that choice. She remembered a time when Leonardo had tried to reason with her. Then she had listened to her anger and hate instead of his reasoning. This time, she would heed his words.

She nodded and bowed to him. "Thank you," she said. "I am grateful for your advice. I hope we will meet again soon."

"So do I," he said. He bowed to her and then leapt off the rooftop to make his way back home.

Karai watched him go with a smile on her face. She only hoped that she could be friends with Leonardo and his brothers one day. With that thought in her head, she went back to Chaplin's apartment and knocked on the door. When he answered she noticed the look of surprise on his face.

"Did you win?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "An old friend helped me to see the light. Come, let us go to bed. It is late." She took his hand and led him to the room they shared. As she looked into his eyes, she realized that things had turned out good in the end. She had fallen from grace, but she had also risen above evil to greater heights. She had a home, a purpose in life, and people who cared for her. She didn't need anything more than that.

A/N: Okay, not the best ending, but it was the best I could do. So, what did you think? Did you like or hate it? Please leave a review and let me know. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try to get it up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Unwanted_

_A/N: Here's the second chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but I was stuck in a rut. Luckily, I was able to get this chapter written. I'd like to thank all of the people who have read and reviewed this so far. Your encouragement has been great. Thanks a million, and please feel free to read and review once you've finished reading. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own any turtles who are teenaged, mutant, or ninja. Peter Laird is the lucky guy who owns them. _

_Hun stared at the two people across from him, wondering why he was here. He hadn't seen his parents since he left home at age eighteen. He'd been surprised when his mother called and asked him to have dinner with them. His first instinct would have been refuse, but he knew they'd just get angry. So he'd grudgingly accepted and told them he'd be there even though he wasn't looking forward to it. _

_Hun had always been a disappointment to his parents. When he was little, he was always getting into mischief and pulling pranks on other kids. As a teenager, he always got into fights, bullied others, and hung out with the wrong people. He remembered his mother's endless questions: Why did he wear those awful clothes? Why was he hanging out with those degenerate boys? Why did he constantly fail tests? He'd heard it so many times until he'd finally had enough His father always berated him and told him he wasn't good enough. When he finally couldn't take it anymore, he left home for good. _

_It wasn't until he became the leader of the Purple Dragons that he began to feel like he was somebody important. If it hadn't been for Oroku Saki, he would probably be dead now. Saki had molded him into the successful person he was now, and that accounted for something. Sure, Saki had turned out to be an alien bug (something that Hun still couldn't fathom), but he had brought the Foot and Purple Dragons to greatness. _

"_So, Hunter, what are you doing now?" his mother asked. _

_Hun hesitated. What was he going to tell her? "Well, Mom, I'm a leader of a criminal gang who specialize in stealing, vandalism, theft, and other crimes. I also worked for a man who turned out to be an alien." Yeah, that would go over well with them. They'd either sell him out to the cops or have him committed. _

"_I've been running a few businesses," Hun replied. _

_Hun's father looked skeptical. "So, did you go to college and get a degree in business?" he asked. _

"_No, I didn't," Hun answered. _

"_Then how on earth could you run any business without a degree?" his father pursued. "Are these legitimate businesses?" _

'_Yes, they are," Hun told him. "Oroku Saki helped me out. He mentored me and taught me all that I know now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be where I'm at." It felt weird talking about the Shredder this way since Hun always resented the leader of the Foot. _

"_Oroku Saki?" his mother repeated. "Isn't that the man who passed away so suddenly?" _

"_Yeah, that's him," Hun said. "He died of a sudden heart attack." _

"_What businesses did he run?" his father asked. _

_Hun was getting very annoyed. Why did his father have to be so nosy? It was almost like he didn't trust what his son was saying to him. "He ran some marketing companies," he said. "He also worked with various charities and organizations. And he even ran a school for ninjitsu that his daughter runs now." _

"_He has a daughter?" his mother inquired. "What about his wife?" _

"_He wasn't married," replied Hun. "He adopted Karai in Japan." _

"_That's nice," said his mother. "I feel sorry for Karai though. She doesn't have a father now. It must be hard for her." _

"_She's fine," said Hun with a wave of his hand. "She's doing well with the business aspect, too." _

"_Good," said his mother. "What about you? Do you have any girlfriends?" _

"_Yeah, tell us, son," urged his father. "Got a girl who sets your heart on fire these days?" _

_Hun wanted to burst out laughing at this. No, he didn't have a steady girlfriend, but he did have a string of girls who offered their services to him. He never kept track of their names because he didn't care. He doubted he'd ever find the woman of his dreams, and he didn't want to. As long as the woman showed him a good time, that's all he cared about. He didn't want to get married or have kids. That life wasn't for him. _

"_Uh, no, I don't," said Hun. "I prefer being single." _

"_But you must have been out on dates," persisted his mother. _

_Hun shook his head. "No, I've been too busy," he said. "So, what have you been up to?" _

_As he listened to his parents talk about what they were doing in their lives, he couldn't help but be envious of them. They were so happy together and so successful, while he was living a lie. Both his mother and his father had achieved something with their lives by going to college and getting degrees. He lived on the streets until Saki took him in and showed him the ropes. No matter how many times his parents said they were proud of him, he knew they weren't. He wasn't giving his family name any positive notoriety. It was only a matter of time before he brought shame to his parents by being arrested or killed. _

"_Hunter, I'm so glad you decided to come," said his mother. "We've missed you." _

"_We're glad you're doing something with your life," said his father. "There were times when I pictured you in jail or worse. I'm glad to see you've grown up and shown some ambition. It's something you don't often see in today's young people." _

"_Thanks, Dad," said Hun. Little did he know that his son was helping those young people to become criminals instead of lawyers. _

"_Well, your father and I have to go," said his mother. ""We're due at a charity ball. It was such a pleasure talking to you, Hunter. You really should stop by more often." _

"_I'll try, Mom," promised Hun. "I get pretty busy, but maybe I could alter my schedule." _

"_Maybe you and I could go to a Yankees game," suggested his father. _

"_I'd like that, Dad," replied Hun. "That would be great." He was surprised his dad had offered. He hadn't taken Hun to a game since he was a little kid. _

"_I could even bring some of my friends," added his father. "I can brag about my son's business ventures." _

"_Sounds good," said Hun even though it didn't. He knew he'd have to ask more odd questions, and he wasn't sure how long he could keep up the charade. _

"_We love you," whispered his mother as she and his father hugged him. _

"_Love you, too," replied Hun. He watched his parents leave the restaurant with their hands entwined in a show of affection. They were everything he knew he'd never be: Successful, kind, compassionate, and loving. They had a reason to keep on living. _

_He was the exact opposite: A failure, mean, selfish, and hateful. What did he have to live for? He had nobody but himself. He was no better than the dog who got kicked out because he couldn't stop chewing the furniture. _

_Abandoned and unwanted. _

_A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. I don't when the next one will be up, but I'll do my best with it. Please feel free to leave a review once you've finished reading. Have a shell-tastic day! _


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